Wednesday, August 22, 2012

No big words here today. Just a few pictures from this summer's travels, some chocolate Nutella raspberry cupcakes from the beach last weekend and quick note to say that in my annual end-of-August fashion, I'm signing off to live the rest of summer to the fullest.

Hope you enjoy these long days of sun as much as I will. See you in the fall, as we close out the fourth (!) year on this little blog of mine.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

blue and distended, the moonhazed, this is the season of peacheswith their lush lobed bulbsthat glow in the dusk, applesthat drop and rot sweetly, their brown skins veined as glandsNo more the shrill voicesthat cried Need Needfrom the cold pond, bladedand urgent as new grassNow it is the cricketsthat say Ripe Ripeslurred in the darkness, while the plumsdripping on the lawn outsideour window, burstwith a sound like thick syrupmuffled and slowThe air is stillwarm, flesh moves overflesh, there is nohurry"

- Late August

by Margaret Atwood

It's hot outside. The August days march on and the air is heavy, as if every passing thunderstorm is a sign of the summer's passionate heat clashing in the sky. I crave clams. I only want rum and saltwater, and I'm pretty sure that my feet don't fit into normal shoes anymore. We are in barefoot season. Clothes are a nuisance, work is a chore and the sight of sunlight after three o'clock constantly brings to mind that Henry James poem: "Summer afternoon, summer afternoon...."

We are in the heart of summer's sweetest fruit harvest. Blackberries stain sweet honey on fingertips, watermelons provide the best hydration and the peaches are so swollen and ripe they can be sliced with a butter knife.

Where there's seasonal fruit, there must be cupcakes, and better yet, Peach Crumble Cupcakes.

The sweet local stone fruits of August were peeled, roughly chopped and thrown into moist vanilla and brown sugar cupcakes. I topped them with a vanilla buttercream, mixed with a scoop of whipped cream cheese for good measure. A peach's best sweetness is brought out by toasted bits, and so a crumble topping was necessary, making these cupcakes almost like mini- peach cobblers reconstructed. This crumble consists of flour, brown sugar, crumbled walnuts and melted butter, spread on a baking tray and cooked crisp in the oven before topping. The crowning glory: I slid in a fresh peach slice for good measure.

Late August approaches, and to be honest, I'm in denial that anything close to fall could be on its way. But luckily, somehow, time moves slowly. Three more August weekends left for these traveling summer hands and feet. Whatever they lead us to, they won't be wished away.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

I love a good summer party, and even more so, I love the opportunity to dream up some whimsy for them too. Today's cupcake order is in celebration of the sweet baby boy of a chic Manhattan mummy-to-be.

Devils' food
cupcakes with vanilla, Nutella and salted caramel buttercreams topped
with chevron safari toppers. Decadent, glamorous and oh-so-sweet for a
West Village baby shower on a gorgeous summer night.